Cost actuals represent money committed or spent on a project. Every actual is assigned to a cost code, which enables budget vs. actual variance reporting at any level of detail.
| Type | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Invoice | Subcontractor or vendor invoice received |
| Purchase Order | PO issued for materials or services; cost committed but not yet invoiced |
| Receipt | Out-of-pocket purchase (credit card, cash) |
| Payroll | Self-perform labor cost (imported from timesheet approvals) |
| Adjustment | Manual correction or owner-approved change order |
Navigate to Cost Intelligence → Actuals → Add Actual or add directly from a line item in the estimate. Fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Invoice, PO, Receipt, Payroll, Adjustment |
| Cost code | Must match a code in the active estimate (or add a new code) |
| Vendor / Subcontractor | Select from your contacts list |
| Description | Invoice or PO description |
| Amount | Dollar amount |
| Invoice/PO number | For reference and matching |
| Invoice date | Date on the document |
| Due date | Payment due date (invoices only) |
| Attachment | Upload the invoice PDF |
TrueGrade distinguishes between committed costs (POs) and incurred costs (invoices):
This distinction lets you see full project exposure (budget + committed) at any point in the project.
When scope changes are approved, record them as Adjustment type actuals with the change order number in the description. The variance report will show the original estimate, the adjustments, the revised budget, and actual spend against each.
Approved change orders do not modify the locked baseline estimate. They are tracked as adjustments, which keeps the baseline intact for comparison.
Invoices can be marked as paid when payment is issued. This does not affect cost reporting (the cost is recognized when the invoice is entered) but enables accounts payable tracking. Filter actuals by Unpaid to see outstanding invoices.